Best discard I've ever eaten

I already mentioned that the success of my sourdough starters means that I have to bake at least twice a week. I'm not complaining; it's nice to have so much bread that I have some for my family and I can give some away. Still, I thought it would be nice to have a couple of recipes on hand to use the starter that was not technically a bread recipe. Enter Patti G. Patti and I sing together in San Diego Chorus and she is one of those people who is well-traveled, well-educated and so willing to try new things. She is also one of those people who knows stuff. And if she doesn't know it, she probably knows someone who does! When I put out a call for recipes using starter discard, it was no surprise to me that Patti had two to throw my way.


Here's the cast for Sourdough Buttery Parmesan Crackers.


Just four ingredients and such a wonderfully simple recipe! I melted a stick of butter on the stove and set it aside to cool to room temperature.


I measured the amount of starter needed for the recipe and then fed the rest as usual.


By the time I had breakfast, the butter had cooled enough for me to add it to the starter along with the salt. I whisked them together and then stirred in the Parm.


I lined a rimmed half sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the batter over it, then popped it into a 325F oven for 30 minutes. I love the fact that this recipe is a batter; I've tried making crackers using a rolled method, but not all doughs are easy to roll out, and then they sometimes bounce back. The result is crackers of uneven thicknesses.


After 30 minutes, I used a pizza cutter to score the dough. The crackers baked an additional 30 minutes then I turned the oven off, opened the oven door a couple of inches and let them cool off inside.


After about an hour or so, the crackers had cooled. The edges were perfectly crisp but the interior was more chewy where the batter had pooled a bit during the first part of cooking.


The scoring worked perfectly and it was easy to separate the crackers. It didn't matter if the edges were very crisp and the center was chewy; the flavor was fantastic! It was wonderfully cheesy and buttery and that toned down the tartness of the sourdough. We all really liked it! Next time I will separate the batter onto two smaller pans and see if I can get more uniform crispiness. Delish!

Here's the recipe!

Sourdough Buttery Parmesan Crackers
Courtesy of Patti Goin

Ingredients:

1-1/3 c. sourdough discard
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 to 1 tsp. salt (I used 3/4)

Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. Cool melted butter to room temperature.
  3. Mix starter, butter and salt with a whisk until no visible oiliness remains. If it splits, refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  4. Stir in the cheese.
  5. Line a 13x8 half sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the batter to the edges of the pan.
  6. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven and score with a pizza cutter.
  8. If crackers are starting to brown on the edges, turn the oven down to 300F.
  9. Bake for 30 more minutes.
  10. Turn oven off and open the door a bit. Let crackers cool completely in the warm oven.
  11. Store in an air tight container.



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